Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in China instead of Benin, you would:

Health

live 14.7 years longer

In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2020. In China, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2020.

be 35.4% less likely to be obese

In Benin, 9.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In China, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 7.9 times more money

Benin has a GDP per capita of $2,300 as of 2017, while in China, the GDP per capita is $18,200 as of 2018.

be 90.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2011. In China, however, that number is 3.3% as of 2016.

be 3.9 times more likely to be unemployed

In Benin, 1.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2014. In China, that number is 3.9% as of 2017.

Life

be 92.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Benin, approximately 397.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In China, 29.0 women do as of 2017.

be 2.3 times more likely to be literate

In Benin, the literacy rate is 42.4% as of 2018. In China, it is 96.8% as of 2018.

be 80.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Benin, approximately 58.7 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In China, on the other hand, 11.4 children do as of 2020.

have 72.4% fewer children

In Benin, there are approximately 42.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In China, there are 11.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 2.4 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Benin, approximately 41% of the population has electricity access as of 2017. In China, 100% of the population do as of 2016.

be 2.7 times more likely to have internet access

In Benin, approximately 20.0% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In China, about 54.3% do as of 2018.

be 21.5% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Benin, approximately 76% of people have improved drinking water access (81% in urban areas, and 72% in rural areas) as of 2017. In China, that number is 93% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2017.

Geography

see 119.8 times more coastline

Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

China: At a glance

China (sometimes abbreviated PRC) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 9,326,410 sq km. For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. Since the early 1990s, China has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations.
Read more

How big is China compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about China. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.